It can be challenging to decide upon a college major because so many factors are involved. Especially given the fact that many colleges require students to choose a major during their first or second year, many students find themselves at a loss for what they want to study. Before selecting a major, it is important to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I really want to spend about four years taking classes in this field?

Most colleges require that students devote around at least 60% of their academic curriculum to classes in their major. Because this is the case, many students find that they have less room than expected to take elective courses or other courses they hoped they would learn about in college. For example, let’s say you’ve always wanted to take a class in marketing, public relations, creative writing, or any other field. If these courses lie outside of your major, it might be difficult to fit them into your schedule. This is why it is crucial to look through your school’s course offerings to see what classes fit under each academic major. Furthermore, thinking about which courses you want to take and seeing which majors offer those courses is a good way of identifying your major in the first place.

2. Do I actually have a passion and love for this subject, or am I settling on it because I don’t know what else to study?

It is common for students to “round up” when selecting a major: since they can’t decide what they want to study, they pick a field that seems similar to their interests, even if they don’t know much about that field in the first place. This can be dangerous because in many cases, once the major is chosen, it can be very difficult to change majors later on and still graduate on time. This is why it is crucial to pick a major you’re passionate about. Studying something that you love will greatly enhance your college experience because you will be engaged and excited by your classes. Your major is not always indicative of what career you will pursue later on. If your college offers the major, that is enough of an indication that it sees the included courses as enriching and useful for any career.

3. What do I want to do after college?

As mentioned above, a major is not a be-all-end-all determinant of one’s career trajectory. What is more important is the classes required by the major. Take a look at the course requirements for the majors you are considering. Do you think that these courses will be useful to you in the future? Is it more important to you that you can discuss philosophy after college, or that you can program in a computer language? The “title” of one’s major is less important than what one learned during college. For example, if you are choosing to study political science, does your school require you to take classes in economics as well? If you are studying marketing, does your school offer classes involving online marketing as well? Again, it might be more useful to start by thinking about the classes you want to take, not just the name of the major.

- Originally posted at Examville

Class participation is a crucial component of both your grades in school as well as what you will ultimately take from a class. However, for many students, speaking up can be daunting and intimidating, especially in classes where students feel less experienced or well-versed in the subject matter. On top of all that, many students simply feel shy or self conscious when it comes to speaking up in class or asking questions. Here are several tips for students who have trouble gaining the courage to participate in class discussion:

1. What you have to say will almost always be helpful

The whole purpose of having as many questions and as much commentary as possible in class discussions is that a variety of voices provides different perspectives in class. Even if you think to yourself that your feedback or question is not intelligent enough, chances are, the professor and the rest of the class will be grateful that you spoke. Even though the saying is trite, it couldn’t be more true: someone else in the class probably had the same question or comment, so you’re helping everyone learn by participating.

2. Consider it practice for your career and life

Whether you like it or not, there will most likely be a time in your life when you are expected to speak in public. Regardless of whether the event is related to your career, effective communication is an important skill and school is the perfect place to develop it. Don’t beat yourself up if you stutter, stammer, lose your train of thought, or can’t communicate your idea very well. Speaking up takes practice, and everyone in school is still practicing and learning about their own communication skills.

3. Identify what it is that makes you nervous and how you can overcome the nerves

Some people become nervous speaking in front of big crowds, while others may stress out in small seminars or meetings. Identify what it is exactly that is making you nervous and try to think about how you can overcome it. For some, it can be helpful to focus on an object in the back of the room while speaking. Also, during an oral presentation, it is important to think about what’s written on any notes you use. If your notes are lengthy enough that you can read aloud from them as if you were reading a book, they probably aren’t good notes to use in an oral presentation. Try to keep the notes very short so you are speaking to the audience in a more spontaneous and authentic manner.

Take advantage of your time as a student to hone the very important skill of speaking in public, asking questions, and expressing your opinion aloud. Even though more and more communication is becoming entirely digital, but a skill like public speaking will never be phased out by technology.

- Originally published in Examville Blog

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Many students feel that sitting in a giant lecture hall filled with hundreds of other students is an excuse to fall asleep rather than pay attention to the material being presented. However, no matter the size of the class, all courses generally carry the same weight in a transcript. This makes it crucial to teach yourself how to learn in any class environment, including those that make you feel like you’re sitting at a concert waiting for a show.

1. Think about why you’re there in the first place.

If the lecture class is required for your field of study, the information taught in this lecture will be necessary later on, and you’ll be glad you paid attention. Furthermore, if you’ve decided to study something that hundreds of other students chose to sign up for as well, it makes it even more important to stand out.

2. Your college might be playing a trick on you!

Many huge lectures are known as “weed out” classes for their tendency to dissuade students from pursuing popular fields of study. Schools fill introductory classes to their capacity and present material that is monotonous or extremely difficult in order to create the illusion that all classes in this field are similar. However, succeeding in a “weed out” class is a right of passage for taking smaller, more focused classes later on.. Many of those “weeded out” students simply couldn’t learn in such a big atmosphere. If you’re serious about that field of study, you have to prove to your school that you’ll thrive no matter how the classes are structured.

3. Don’t go to class only to ignore the lecture.

Most college freshmen who take lecture hall classes are thrilled by the idea that they can get away with sleeping in class without being woken up. And lately, since colleges are offering wireless internet in many of their classrooms, students use lectures as an opportunity to open up their laptops, catch up with their online social network friends, and go through all their emails to pass the time. However, coming to class only to ignore it is a serious waste of time, energy, and tuition money. If you’re not at college to learn, you might want to consider this before spending all the money your family has saved up for you.

4. The most important tips:

Show up on time, or early. Sit up front where you know the professor can see you. Try to make eye contact and absorb what she is saying. Use a notebook and a pen, and don’t even bring your laptop – the brain retains information more effectively when it is written down. Take thorough notes of the words and explanations the professor is using to describe any images or slides she may show; don’t only write down the words shown on her PowerPoint presentation. Once in a while, raise your hand and ask a question. It never hurts to try to get the professor to remember your face.

- Lily Faden, Examville Blog Contributor

The arrival of Fall comes hand in hand with the return to classrooms, sweatshirts, football, and for high school seniors, college applications. Some students are so busy cramming for standardized tests that they forget all about a key aspect of applying - the admissions essay. Some schools ask for a statement of purpose - a personal essay explaining why the student believes X school is the right fit. Other schools give prompts akin to ‘Write about someone you admire’ or ‘Write about a meaningful experience.’ Either way, these quick tips will help ensure your essay exceeds expectations and wins out over the hundreds of other applicants.

1. Avoid cliches. If the prompt is to write about a meaningful experience, dig deep for an experience that was truly meaningful to you. A lot of applicants make the mistake of writing about an experience they think other people will find meaningful. Don’t write about being a member of the student government or tutoring inner city children unless the experience truly touched you in a profound, unique way. If going on summer vacation with your family was meaningful, don’t be afraid to say so, as long as the meaning is expressed in a thoughtful way.

2. Be specific. Admissions essays are not that long, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean that you should save valuable space by omitting crucial details and evidence. For example, if you are writing about a book, do not just summarize the plot. Essay readers are looking for insightful writing. Provide specific details about what you enjoyed about the book and why.

3. Stick with the familiar. Do not under any circumstances take this opportunity to branch out. Stick with topics you know like the back of your hand, be it people, books, features of the school, etc. If you start discussing a book you barely flipped through, your lack of knowledge will show through no matter how many adjectives you use. On the other hand, if you write about your favorite book that you read five times this year, your knowledge will shine in your essay and provide unique insight.

4. Emphasize your learning experience. Whatever topic you are writing about, you should highlight that it taught you something. Every experience in life teaches us something, we just have to be attuned and open to the lessons. If you write about someone you admire without mentioning something that person has taught you, essay readers are going to perceive that you are not open to learning new things.

5. Stay focused. As with any other essay, make sure your college application essay has a thesis and clear structure and stick with it. While you very well might have had more than one meaningful experience and it is tempting to share them all, pick one that means the most to you.

And last but not least, EDIT EDIT EDIT. Avoid wordiness, and double and triple check for spelling and grammar errors. Spell check can’t catch every mistake and it would be horrible if there were an obvious typo in your conclusion paragraph.

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